Tag: Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trade alert: Lions make a deal for Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis

Davis has started 75 games in six seasons in Tampa Bay and is under contract through 2024

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a trade!

The Detroit Lions have traded a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In exchange for the pick, Detroit will receive starting cornerback Carlton Davis, a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 sixth-round pick.

It’s a move that brings instant stability and credibility to the Lions at the outside cornerback position. Davis, 27, has started 75 games for Tampa Bay over the last six seasons.

The 6-foot-1 Davis is entering the final year of his contract. He is due $14.5 million for 2024 and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season unless the Lions agree to a contract extension.

Detroit held two picks in the third round and is sending their own pick, No. 61 overall, to the Buccaneers in the deal. The Lions will keep Minnesota’s pick at No. 73 overall from the T.J. Hockenson trade. Tampa Bay has two sixth-round picks in 2024 and it is not yet clear which of those conveys to Detroit in the trade.

Lions vs. Buccaneers: What I learned from film study of Detroit’s playoff win

Lions vs. Buccaneers: What I learned from film study of Detroit’s playoff win from Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon

Fresh off the first Detroit Lions postseason victory since the 1991 season, the team decided that one win wasn’t enough. The Lions beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23, in Ford Field in Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round matchup to advance to the NFC Championship in San Francisco.

Just like the win over the Rams a week earlier, this was a stressful game decided in the fourth quarter. The first three quarters all ended with the score tied. The tension of such a closely-played, high-stakes contest shone through even on the silent All-22 game film.

This week’s film rewatch of the game, both of the broadcast feed and the All-22, revealed a lot about the Lions and where they win and lose games. Here’s some of what I took away from the rewatch.

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Lions Rookie Report: How did Detroit’s rookie class perform against the Buccaneers?

The Lions are now on their way to San Francisco to play in their first NFC championship game since 1991 in large part to their rookie class.

It got close at the end, but the Detroit Lions are on their way to the NFC Championship. They will be facing off against the San Francisco 49ers with a win securing them their first Super Bowl berth in franchise history.

The team came this far largely due to their rookie class and how quickly they have performed. Brad Holmes and his team aced their draft process and it should go down as one of the best draft classes in franchise history. One move in particular, drafting Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall, now looks the best.

Gibbs had this as a potential breakout game. LaPorta showed no moment is too big for him. Meanwhile, Branch and Campbell showed they can make plays time and again.

Here is how they all fared in the second playoff game of their careers.

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Look: Top photos from the Lions playoff win over Tampa Bay

Here are some of the top photos from inside the stadium in Detroit’s NFC Divisional round win.

The Detroit Lions have won two postseason games in the same year for the first time since 1957. Beating the Buccaneers by a 31-23 score on Sunday sends the Lions to the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday with a chance to play for a berth in the Super Bowl.

The win over the Buccaneers was filled with big plays and key moments. It also featured some crazy energy from the Lions fans inside Ford Field.

Here are some of the top photos from inside the stadium in Detroit’s NFC Divisional round win.

Jared Goff on the Lions fans after 2nd playoff win: ‘They deserve to enjoy this’

Goff and Frank Ragnow both thanked and celebrated the Lions fans after the win over the Buccaneers

It has not been easy to be a Detroit Lions fan over the years. Quarterback Jared Goff knows that, and he had a message for the fans after leading Detroit to a 31-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Round game in Ford Field on Sunday.

“They’re the best.”

Goff began his postgame interview with NBC’s Melissa Stark by crediting the playmaking defense, which picked off Baker Mayfield twice and did just enough to keep the game tight when the Detroit offense was sputtering.

“Our defense stepped up at the end. I thought our defense played a hell of a game all night.”

It bought time for the offense and Goff to produce two fourth-quarter touchdown drives that broke a 17-17 tie and sent Detroit to the NFC Championship game next weekend.

“We played together,” Goff said matter-of-factly. “We played hard all night … we were able to finish drives when it really mattered.”

Then Goff turned his attention to the fans. The decibel level measurements aren’t available yet, but Ford Field was once again incredibly loud in cheering for the Lions.

“They’re the best, they’re the best,” Goff said proudly. “Look around right now — they’re not going to leave for quite some time. This was our last one in front of them (this year) and they were special tonight just like they were last week.

They deserve it. They deserve to enjoy this and I hope to give them a lot more of this going forward.”

Lions inactives vs. Buccaneers: James Houston will not play

Lions inactives vs. Buccaneers: James Houston will not play while Sam LaPorta is active

There was one big question lingering over the Detroit Lions and their inactive player list for Sunday’s playoff matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Would James Houston be active?

Detroit activated Houston from injured reserve during the week, but the second-year pass rusher was listed as questionable for the NFC Divisional Round game with the ankle injury that has kept him sidelined since September.

And it will continue to keep Houston out. He’s one of the seven inactive Lions for the game.

Houston and Kalif Raymond are the injury-related inactive players. Tight end Sam LaPorta was listed as questionable but he will play.

Lions vs. Buccaneers: How to watch, listen, stream the divisional round game

Lions vs. Buccaneers: How to watch, listen, stream the divisional round game

For the first time in the Super Bowl era, the Lions will host a second playoff game in the same postseason. This week’s NFC Divisional Round tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a rematch of the Week 6 encounter in Tampa, which the Lions won 20-6.

Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sunday, January 21st

Ford Field, 3 p.m. ET

Watch

The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC. It will be available on your local NBC affiliate over the air wherever in America you live.

Listen

The game will be broadcast over the Detroit Lions radio affiliate network. Dan Miller handles the play-by-play, with Lomas Brown as the color analyst and T.J. Lang reporting from the sidelines.

The flagship station is 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. The full list of affiliates can be found here.

On Sirius XM, the Lions broadcast feed is available on channel 812.

Stream

The game will be streamed by NBC via Peacock

The NFL+ app (subscription required) is the league’s own network to view the game via a streaming device.

FUBO TV (subscription required) is another option.

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Lions vs. Buccaneers: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction

Lions vs. Buccaneers: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction for the NFC Divisional Round game from Ford Field

The Detroit Lions host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisoinal Round matchup on Sunday afternoon. It’s enough of a buzz for a 3 p.m. kickoff that the morning coffee isn’t even brewed yet and I’m feeling the excitement.

This is a game the Lions should win. Should. It’s far from a sure thing. These Buccaneers are indeed playing a lot better now than back in Week 6, when the Lions won in Tampa 20-6.

Here’s what is racing through my mind as key matchup advantages for why I think the Lions will win and things that worry me about the Buccaneers.

Lions final injury report for divisional round game vs. Buccaneers

Lions final injury report for divisional round game vs. Buccaneers has one player out and two more questoinable

The final Detroit Lions injury report for the Divisional Round matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a pretty light one for the home team. The Lions only ruled out one player due to injury, with two others questionable after Friday’s practice.

Wide receiver and primary return specialist Kalif Raymond will miss his second consecutive game with a knee injury. Raymond was injured in the Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He did not practice at all during the week.

Tight end Sam LaPorta and EDGE James Houston are each listed as questionable. LaPorta was limited in the final two days of practice with his knee injury, also suffered in the regular-season finale against the Vikings. Houston, activated off the injured reserve on Thursday, is still dealing with the ankle injury he suffered in Week 2.

All other Lions players were full participants in the final two days of practice and none carry any injury designation status for Sunday’s game.